Cadius Eldanesh
Common Statistics Life is like a river of grease. It's the most disgusting thing you've ever seen, but somehow, it yields delicious pork. Cadius Kadaer Eldanesh Kethvanna tuulo'Alalme en'Myth Drannor Nicknames: Cade, Sharptongue, Mutt, Little Mutt, Poor Cadius Race: Elven (Teu'Tel'Quessir, but with Or'Tel'Quessir and Ar'Tel'Quessir ancestry.) Age: 94 Height: 5'9 (1.75 meters) Weight: 140 pounds Hair: Dark brown, worn long, tied back with a swatch of black silk. On one side, it's a bit longer than the other, covering the severed stump of his ear. Skin Tone: Slightly paler than the average Skin Texture: Rough and heavily calloused from battles and the harsh weather of the Moonsea, aside from the rather high amount of scar tissue on his body. Eye Color: Dark Blue Accent: While there is still some trace of his lower-class Baldurian accent, he sounds closer to a Northerner, with a Moonsea accent slowly creeping in. Recognizable Features: He has a tattoo on the inside of his right forearm, a blot of shadow with a dagger sinking into it, identifying him as a member of the Baldur's Gate branch of the Shadow Thieves of Amn. He's recently gained a new tattoo on his left bicep, marking him being a part of Clan Kethvanna. Cadius also has numerous scars, detailed below. Languages: Common (Native, literate), Thieves' Cant (Fluent, literate) Orcish (About as well as anyone, illiterate) Elven (Mediocre, Illiterate) Left or Right Handed: Left-handed Religion: Solonor Thelandira, primarily, secondarily Torm, Ilmater, and Corellon Larethian. Class: Rogue level 13/Shadowdancer 4 Alignment: Chaotic Good Relatives Well, with my luck, my Dad's going to turn out to be King of some kind of lunatic house where you have to kill all the kids who's names start with 'Cad'. Biological Father - Faelin 'Pretty Boy' Cavost, 1146-, A prostitute working in a Luskan brothel. Cadius has never met his blood father, and is unaware of both his father's work and his continued location and survival. Of late, his feelings towards both of them have taken on a bitter tone. Well, of course it irritates me, how would you feel if you learned your mother dumped you right out of the womb? Okay, okay, she didn't dump me, and I love my family dearly, I just wish I knew the truth about where I came from. Yes, it stung, and yes, I'm over it now. Biological Mother - 'Alara Kovaine - 1110-, Cadius has no memory of his blood mother, and he rarely concerns himself with thoughts of her. When he does think of her, the thoughts were rarely bitter until recently. He rarely thinks about her, but it does bother him that she abandoned him - admittedly to a good family that cared for him - without so much as a letter. '''Adoptive Father '- James Hardbright, born 1258, died 1334. James Hardbright was a good man and a good father, as well as a skilled woodcrafter. After falling in with the Shadow Thieves, Cadius never spoke to his father, not being informed of his illness and death until weeks later, and Cadius' own shame resulting in their last conversation taking place thirty years before his death between prison bars. This fact still haunts Cadius. '''Adoptive Mother - Anna Morris Hardbright, Born 1255, died 1326 His mother was cut from much the same cloth as his father. She was a quiet, unassuming woman, but strong as nails when time needed to be. Like his father, Cadius never spoke to her after the night of his sister's death. This gravely bothers Cadius, although - to his own anger and shame - the fact is much less troubling to Cadius than his situation with his father. Adoptive Sister - Sarah Hardbright Blake - Born 1286, Died 1366 - Sarah was Cadius' closest friend and sibling during their youth, Sarah often pulling her already headstrong and rash elder brother out of trouble, later turning that intellect into a successful career as a scribe. Their relationship went to pieces after Mary's death, only to be mended over half a century later on Sarah's deathbed. Adoptive Sister '''- Mary Hardbright born 1288, died 1308 Mary was the belle of the Hardbrights, a beautiful, intelligent girl on her way to a bright future in whatever path she chose, a path cut tragically short by violence. If his nonpresence at his father and mother's dying sides bothers Cadius, then Mary's death was Cadius first real trauma, and while he has mostly recovered his anger at not being there to hear his father and mother's last words, he has never forgiven himself for failing to save his sister. '''Adoptive Brother - Matthew Hardbright, born 1289, died 1366 Matthew was the wit of the family, always being quick on a retort to a comment, and led a good career as a Wizard. He and Cadius managed to remain in contact a respectable amount, and their separations never amounted to a true estrangement. His death hit Cadius hard, but he recovered quite quickly, at least knowing he hadn't left anything unsaid. Adoptive Sister '- Elizabeth Hardbright Dane, born 1290, died 1369. Another regret of Cadius' time is his failure to ever really know his youngest sister. Despite being only a handful of years younger than him, Cadius was always a stage or two ahead of her, and unlike her brother didn't have the natural intelligence or skill with words to spar with Cadius verbally, arguably Cadius' favorite activity. While he mended their relationship, they were never able to really relate to each other. Her death seven years ago hit Cadius hard when he eventually learned about it, a lifetime's worth of regret crashing down on him all at once. '''Blood Sister - '''Saeryl Kethvanna: See below '''Adoptive Sister - '''Isiolia Wylan Amilcnam nee Nightstar: See below, again. Statistics ''I'm a Thief, not a Diplomat! '''Strength: 14 - Cadius is no warrior, but at the same time, he's no weakling, either. Long years of climbing, running, leaping f rom rooftops, has strengthened him respectably. Dexterity: 20 - Cadius is almost supernaturally dexterous. Even without magical enhancement, he has near-perfect muscle control, and with his magical enhancement, it isn't unreasonable to say he could literally dance on the heads of pins. Constitution: 12 - Exposure to the rougher side of life in a Human city has strengthened his immune system slightly - he's less frail than the typical Elf, but not by much. Intelligence: 14 - A good education and a genuine love of learning makes Cadius much smarter than one would expect at first look. He's certainly no genius, but he has a pretty good grasp on a number of subjects. Wisdom: 8 - Cadius has absolutely wretched judgment, and often rushes into situations without properly thinking them through. While recent events have caused him to re-evaluate his perspective on that, he still acts before he thinks most of the time. He also lacks much mental fortitude, most likely an artifact of his abstaining from meditation for most of his life. Charisma: 10 - Cadius is not very personable most of the time. Even when he likes you, he enjoys off-color jokes and he has a phenomenally foul mouth, which tends to get him into trouble. Physically, he's plain featured, lacking most of the typical Elven physical beauty. Skills Yoink. Open Lock: Can't leave home without it - no, really. He always loses his keys. Hide: In addition to having a near-preternatural ability to go unseen, Cadius has limited, unconscious control over the way light moves over his body. Move Silently: Between his fairly small size and light build and decades of training, Cadius' footfalls are practically silent. Bluff: Cadius is a pretty fair poker player. Tumble: He has a lot of experience moving in tight places. Obstacle rich environments are his bitch. Jump: Goes with the above, really. Climb: Again. Disable Trap: It's a skill that rarely comes in handy, but when it does, it keeps an arrow out of his bum. Search: He's found more secret doors than you've had hot dinners, or so he'd like to claim. Use Magical Device: By means unknown to him, Cadius has a way to, in essence, trick the weave. While he's not certain of the mechanics behind it himself, his best guess is that he has some slight degree of Sorcerous potential. Pickpocket: Yes, he does in fact have your wallet. Spot: He has a pretty good eye, but his ears may be filled with cake. Or are they? General Character Information Appearance I've heard tell that women like scars on a man. So should I just forgo the shirt? Rather small and thinly build, he has the look of an acrobat who's been on the job for a long time. He steps lightly and moves as quickly as he can, rarely bothering to look at what's behind, to the sides, or right under his nose. He seems to always have a half-smirk on his face, and a surprisingly open and honest looking face for a thief. He tends to dress in long, dark jackets, usually with bright clothing underneath. He keeps his long dark hair tied back in a loose ponytail most often. Altogether, he's fairly plain-featured, not really having the looks to charm maidens off their feet, at least that's his perception of the case. He seems to be regaining his perpetual good humor, although it's in a rather darker vein than before, and a lot more sarcastic. Which is saying something. His numerous scars include a pair of long scars on his right hand, two small but nasty-looking burn scars on his chest. His knuckles have scar tissue over them, as well, a hidden one under his hairline at the back of his skull, a notch driven into the bone. More recently, he's had his right ear and two fingers - the smallest and the ring finger - off his right hand hacked off with a cursed dagger, along with numerous scars, centralized on his chest, stomach, and back, too numerous to count, made with whips, hot irons, knives, teeth, and various others. There's also a nasty, jagged scar going down his left cheek, and a second one going from his left ear to just under the eye. Personality Wounds heal, chicks dig scars, glory and honor last forever? Amen! Damn straight, brother. - Noc Wylan Amilcnam and Cadius Eldanesh Cadius tends to be rather withdrawn and distant from people until he's gotten to know them a bit, then he becomes significantly friendlier and open with them, unless he doesn't like them, in which case they can expect comments on their manners, hygiene, and dress just for starters. His distance manifests less as a refusal to interact and more as a facade personality - which, admittedly, isn't all that different from his real one, albeit much more abrasive with it's commentary. He always seems to have a joke - usually a bad one, and when he doesn't have that he can at least make a wiseass comment at someone he doesn't like. His humor seems to be all across the board. Sometimes it's a silly joke or a pun, other times cynical and deadpan, and the only time he seems to be able to keep his mouth shut after he gets started is when he's in the middle of breaking into someplace, he can't even keep the commentary down in the middle of combat. When he does get into fouler moods, he becomes quiet and terse, rarely openly lashing out, preferring to go passive aggressive, or lashing out hard once then retreating if it was towards a friend. Recent experiences have resulted in him withdrawing further, to the point where if he doesn't already know you and trust you, he's most likely going to keep you at arm's length, or further if he can manage it. When it comes to his past, Cadius is evasive. While he has no secrets from his friends unless he's been specifically sworn, he dislikes discussing his history, and will often gloss over important but unpleasant events to avoid dredging them up in his mind. If anyone asked specifically, he would tell them the truth, but when it comes to his past, he prefers to tell as little as possible to satiate his friend's curiosity. Someone he does not consider a friend asking about his past, on the other hand, is likely to get three possible responses, depending on Cadius' sobriety, mood, and regard for them. 'I'd prefer not to talk about it.' 'Mind your own business', or 'Fuck off'. Variations exist, of course. The most important thing to him as an ideal is personal freedom, mastery of your own fate. Slavery is one of those things to him - It doesn't matter who you are or why you did it, there is never an excuse. While he's none too fond of prison either for obvious reasons, he finds it to be a necessary evil. Besides, theft wouldn't be any fun if there wasn't a little bit of risk to it. As far as his personal side, he looks to his friends and loved ones as his most valued 'possession'. He's not a rich man by any stretch of the imagination, and money comes and goes, but a real friend is something hard to find. Sappy, yes, he knows, but honest enough. Cadius would give his life for someone he called 'Friend', although he'd really prefer it didn't come to that. Death is something he's come face to face enough times in his life and it wasn't pleasant the last couple times. He'd rather not go through it again any time soon, but fate seems to be quite determined to screw him royally. He's undeniably Chaotic - his ideal government is extremely minimalist to the point of being nonexistent, and he considers crimes like theft to only be morally wrong if committed against someone who would be utterly ruined by the losses. Stealing from the rich is entertainment and paying the rent to him, although he'd rarely say that out loud. As far as his personal relationships go, however, he places a considerable deal of emphasis on honor. Lying to an enemy is nothing to him, but truly lying to a friend is tantamount to betrayal in his books, and betraying a friend is the ultimate sin in his eyes. As far as the reasoning for his behavior, it can be partially attributed to his age. At 93, he's physically well past the mature state for an Elf, but is still in a state of mental and emotional adolescence. While his childhood in a human city has altered that somewhat, his being forced to grow up very quickly before even reaching his physical maturity has put a strain on his development. But the primary cause isn't any damage. He doesn't use it as a coping mechanism - not all the time anyway, certainly there are times, and in combat his jokes are usually so he keeps his head - but simply because that's the kind of person he is. He loves to laugh and make others laugh, and in some way, the gloomy atmosphere of the Moonsea of late has only amplified this. This is less true with his recent experiences. Cadius still cracks jokes, but there seems to be no spirit behind him. He brought the jokes and left the funny behind. He has a bit of a paranoid bent. This is more centered around excessive caution than anything else. His hand's never far from his rapier and he hates sleeping anywhere with more than two doors, even going so far as to lock himself in the Swaying Bough's bathroom for the night as a secure place to sleep. This has been exacerbated by recent plots involving a quiet evening, Cadius, a set of manacles, and the complete whips collection. He rarely opens up to anyone who he didn't know prior to his ordeal, wondering if they might be a Shadow Thief agent. Cadius' religious beliefs are...complicated. While he used to be a follower of Tymora, frustrations and infuriating vagueness on her part lead to his gradual loss of faith in her, until his torture at the hands of Rethik Dakkorne, where it broke completely. For a time, he had a bitter, cynical perspective towards Divinity, but that feeling seems to have faded, most likely due to the presence of his more pious friends. While he has yet to decide on what God to foll ow, it's likely that whatever God it is will need to distinguish him or herself to Cadius by actually visibly helping against Orcus. Cadius has a peculiar mental fortitude. While others face their fears and pains by facing them down, or by fleeing from them entirely, Cadius' mind almost seems to dodge around it. He defuses fear with a quip about his enemy's tailor, panic by reciting nursery rhymes to himself, anxiety by trying to force his mind into the mindset to write poetry, and despair, ironically, by comforting others about theirs. When he does have concerns, he prefers to conceal it, not wanting to offload his problems and burdens onto others. He has impressive fortitude, sheer stubbornness giving him an edge against fear and panic. Place him in a room with an enemy and he'll fight or taunt. Place him in a room by himself, and he'll beg to hear someone's voice. On the other hand, his tolerance for physical pain is hardly limitless. He's had no formal training about resisting torture, and push him hard and he'll break, and break hard. Recent events proved the previous assessment accurate - he broke, and it took a lot out of him. His good humor seems to be half-dead, and the above paranoid bent greatly worsened. More long-term psychological trauma remains to be seen, but Cadius is definitely experiencing the early stages of post-traumatic stress, and mundane, common phenomena can set him on a flashback - which is always unpleasant for Cadius, and often unpleasant for people around him. Currently, he's basically using the local issues to distract himself - essentially, he's using them to hold a mask on his face that says 'I'll be okay.' Meanwhile, trauma festers underneath the surface. While he will most likely eventually recover, especially given the aid of many of his close friends, it's unlikely the scars - physical and mental - will ever heal. Fighting Style: One, two, step to the left, three, four, stab the bastard's face, five six, slip into shadows, seven, eight, do it again. Cadius' fighting style is unusual. Looking at him fight, it's rather apparent he's never trained formally, at least not significantly. In combat, his stances, strikes, and defenses blend elements from knife and dagger fighting, street brawling, and acrobatics, combined with his nearly supernatural stealth abilities. In an ideal situation, Cadius seems to be everywhere at once, striking before ducking into a shadow and striking again, disappearing and reappearing. It's extremely unorthodox, but it also seems to be effective. What it will develop in with the crippling of his hand remains to be seen. Relationships Player Relationships: Lia's my best friend and the closest thing to family I've got - no, not closest. She IS family. Okay, so she's dysfunctional and more than a little crazy, but she's a good person and loyal at heart. I'll stick with her as long as I'm not having to dodge fireballs from her, and probably for a bit after that. Now here's the question: Is she still Isiolia Nightstar, or Isiolia Nightstar Wylan Amilcnam, or Isiolia Wylan Amilcnam nee Nightstar? Dammit. I'll never get this straight. [[Isiolia Nightstar|'Isiolia ']][[Isiolia Nightstar|'Nightstar']]: Cadius' best friend and most trusted ally, Lia and Cadius have basically been friends since the day they met. They had that relationship thing going for a while, but they don't talk about it and neither should you. Anyway, an outside observer might get the impression that they actually hate each other, what with Cadius constantly snarking and Lia constantly stomping on his foot - something that he wishes she'd stop by the way, he's starting to get marks in his feet - but that's just the byproduct of them being two friends who can drive each other up the wall. He finds her perception of his 'danger magnetism' to be a bit insulting - that hag thing only happened once, and it would've worked perfectly if she'd held still for a second longer. Anyway, he's over his feelings for her now, perfectly happy with the way things are. Well, in this situation, anyway. Her relationship and bonding (He calls it Elf Wedding) with Noc seems to have a positive effect both on their friendship and her psyche. He's happy for her. She's become a surrogate sister to him. Her affliction with Vampirism nearly drove Cadius to suicide, and he still teeters on the brink of despair. There are a few people 'around that I would never want really angry at me, but Sae probably tops that list. Besides that shes a good friend who you can always rely on, she's also one of the scariest and toughest people I've ever met. If I walked into Elventree one day and she was sitting there eating a bowl of nails, I don't know that I'd be too surprised. ''[[Saeryl Kethvanna|'Saeryl Kethvanna']]: Sae and Cadius are very close friends, and with the wedge that was driven between Cadius and Isiolia, Sae is probably his closest friend now, although with the healing of his relationship with Lia, it's debatable. He's extremely grateful to her for the help and support she's given him in recovering from the aftereffects of his torture at the hands of the Shadow Thieves, and looks at her as a big sister, as she looks at him as a little brother. ''Absolutely not. A gentleman doesn't discuss this kind of thing with you, you creep. And no, the poetry book is strictly for my consumption and maybe one day if I get royally hammered on sap, hers, but nobody else's. Stop writing, you jackass. Aislinn Cystineren: Cadius hasn't known Aislinn for very long, but he's quite smitten with her already, at least believing himself to be in love with her, and certainly the context would seem to suggest it pretty well. Despite their relative lack of contact - having met only four times over the course of several weeks, spending perhaps a dozen hours together at most, he cares deeply about her, and she's rarely completely off his mind. He considers the relationship over with her most recent disappearance. Valin's a difficult person to know. I'd trust him with my life, but...gah, I can't think of anything funny to say. Can we skip to the next one? No? Screw you, guy. Alright, he's a solid bloke and he's got two good knees and I like him, and he has solid advice on alternative uses for many household items. No, I won't tell them to you. [[Valin Llanowar|'Valin Llanowar']]: Cadius considers Valin a friend in a way, but it's a bit odd for him. Certain people have commented on a similarity between Valin and Cadius, one that Cadius has picked up on as well, and it makes him somewhat uncomfortable. He sees Valin as something of a funhouse mirror reflection of himself, what he might have become if circumstances and personal choices had been different. Along with Cerin, though, Valin is probably the only person in the Moonsea who could directly give Cadius orders and expect them to be followed. I don't really know him. I mean, he's Cerin, alright, the guy's like, the most powerful guy I've ever met. If he had particularly bad culinary taste, he'd probably eat Demons for breakfast, but they really aren't a breakfast food. [[Cerin Te'les|'Cerin Te'les']]: Cerin's probably the closest thing to a real authority figure that Cadius recognizes. He's affectionately dubbed Cerin 'Old Man', and they've become reasonably close friends, despite the infrequency in which they interact. Isilme is living proof of what I've always suspected to be true - women can be just as perverted as men, they just tend to do a better job hiding it. Isilme doesn't even try a lot of the time, which makes for some pretty funny stuff. [[Ilisme Renor'anon|'Isilme Renor'anon']]: Cadius considers Isilme a friend, and enjoys their...unique discussions on various topics. They aren't especially close, though. Stay as far away from Aly as you can. She's a monster, she eats other Elves. There's a huge lair of bone and meat she's crafted along Elua's Ride, I only barely escaped alive - no, I'm just kidding. Aly's nice, but I'd never want to be on her bad side. [[Aly'Faerae Auvryath|'Aly'faerae Auvryath']]: Cadius likes Aly, and considers her a friend, but they aren't really acquainted well enough for him to have a significant opinion beyond that. Still, she's probably one of his closer friends around the Moonsea. Knock-Knock. Who's there? Noc. Okay, it wasn't funny the first time I did it. Noc's a pretty solid guy. At least, now. The first time I met him, I got this 'Whiny, self-absorbed twat 'who spreads misery on himself like it's jelly' vibe, but he seems to have broken out of that mold. Now he's boinking my sister, but he's a better choice than most of the other one's she's made, so it's okay. I'll tell you about that sometime. '' '''Noc Wylan Amilcnam': Cadius' opinion towards Noc is fairly positive. It was rather rocky at first, owing to Noc's rather annoying behavior, but he seems to have kicked that habit out of the blue, and now he's married - well, in bondage. Bonded. With Lia. And they seem to have become friends. That subject is finished. They've grown closer of late, into a fairly brotherly relationship, and with their recent acquisition of a pair of communication earrings from the Shadow Thieves Nichzan and Shadeye, they're able to communicate over long distances. Noc's madness has Cadius lost. While he seems able to communicate with Noc to some degree, he honestly has no idea how to proceed. We're scraping the barrel here. Who the hell is 'Ami-oh, right, that guy, it's been a while. Anyway, yeah, Lialith's a nice girl, bit bugged up in the head, but who the hell isn't around here. Least, on the Good side. The Bad Guys don't tend to show signs of emotional trauma, so either they hide it well, they don't have any or we just leave ours hanging out like a particularly unpleasant clothesline. Probably all three. ''' Lialith Nere'ya: Cadius considers Lialith a friend, and is under the impression that the feeling is mutual. He's concerned about how distant she seems to be towards most people, although he sees her coming out of her shell somewhat with relief. I'll be honest with ya, I barely remember this guy. From what I recall, he was a standup guy, but seriously, he hasn't been around for months and my memory barely goes back weeks. [[Amir Ra'id Sabir|'''Amir Ra'id Sabir]]: Cadius like Ahmir. It's nice for him to meet someone else around here who isn't all doom and gloom and no jokes all the time. Cadius considers him a friend, but they're not especially close ones giving their infrequency of meetings. Ahmir's new relationship with Rosa has Cadius a bit puzzled, though. 'You mean they weren't before?' Then he gets his foot stomped on by Lia, but that's not a change. See above - memory like sponge. Wait, that metaphor probably doesn't make sense. Oh, forget it. [[Rosalinde O'Madain|'Rosalinde O'Madain']]: Cadius sees Rosa with the same light he sees Ahmir in - someone who brings some much-needed light to the region, although with less of Ahmir's humor and more of just being a nice person. Which is fine, too. I'd certainly never want to find myself on opposite ends of a blade with her. Not entirely certain what to make of her, I'm a little concerned she might have been trying to manipulate me with the whole Slaver thing, but somehow I don't think so, I think she can be trusted. We'll see. Rigo: 'Rigo and Cadius have only begun associating recently, Rigo having approached Cadius to join a Guild. Soon after, Cadius was captured by Shadow Thieves and after escaping their grasp with the assistance of Noc, Rigo supplied them with weapons and supplies for their assault on the Shadow Thief headquarters. More recently, Rigo and Cadius assaulted a slaver hideout on an isle not far from Zhentil Keep, further cementing his respect for her. ''I'm not a politician, thanks be to the Gods, but this is pretty bloody obvious to me. Your old boss, a woman who had the reputation of being something of a battle-axe - and a few other less polite things - gets offed, and to replace her, you appoint the wife of a dead Zhent ambassador who's a Seamstress? This is what's called puppet governing, kids. 'Elle: '''Cadius frankly finds Elle rather annoying, but he doesn't dislike her, per se. He does, however, have a certain degree of contempt for her governance of Yulash, seeing the position as little more than puppetry by the Duke. As he sees it, it's the only thing that makes sense - what makes a Seamstress qualified to govern a city? ''Solomon's a Paladin, with everything that entails. Despite that, he's a pretty nice guy, and the surgically implanted stick in his ass seems not to have penetrated all of his humor and such. Wonder where he got off to. '''Solomon Creed: Despite their differing views on many things, Cadius considers Solomon a trusted ally and friend. However, he really doesn't know the man all that well. Dawn's an unusual one. I imagine people meeting her for the first time wonder why she's so cheerful, but then you look at the rest of this place and you realize why - everyone else dropped theirs. [[Dawn Darkmoon|'Dawn Darkmoon']]: Cadius has a considerable amount of respect for Dawn, and sees her as being, if not a friend, then at least a potential future one. While their styles of doing the work tend to clash, they at least have more or less the same goals, and while he previously found her perkiness annoying, it's kind of grown on him, probably owing to the intensely gloomy atmosphere of the Moonsea of late. Aaaaawkward. [[Michael von Wolfhousen|'Michael von Wolfhausen:']] To be blunt, Cadius doesn't know what to think of him. He literally has never met the man, and he's trying to prevent his opinion about Not-Michael from jading his perspective on the actual Michael. Still, he's got an enemy off his table, and that's a plus no matter where you squat. Alabyran is a jackass who could do with turning those centuries of his into a healthy dose of perspective and 'Not Being a Dick'. But when he's not being mopey or a dick, he's a standup guy and a good friend, and like most of our little family, would die for the others, but I don't think he actually wants that. [[Alabyran Haladar|'Alabyran Haladar']]: Cadius likes Alabyran, and considers him a friend. Good thing, too, because he sees Alab about as much as anyone. He just wish the guy would make jokes more often, it's tiresome being the only one around with a decent sense of humor, not that Cadius' jokes are usually all that great. They occasionally clash, and when they do it's ugly, but it's usually repaired fairly quickly. Alabyran seems to have vanished from the Moonsea, and given the more and more common unpleasantness between them, he's not especially bothered by it. Markus was Creeper Jones for a while, but he seems to have decreepified himself. Then again, I haven't seen him for a while. Markus: Cadius considers Markus a friend, although there's something a little odd about him that Cadius can't quite place. Then again, that might be a sideeffect of his purchasing of the 'Ten Pina Colada for One Gold' sale. It's not as though he has a stomach of steel. His recent relationship with Lialith has Cadius pleased. They seem to be good for each other, and it seems to have toned down Markus' creepiness level considerably. Where were we? Ah, yes. Akir. Okay, picture a ship. Now, this ship is a total asshole to you, but this ship also has a lot of problems, so you're like 'Okay, I can sort of -' this metaphor doesn't make any sense. Let me rephrase. Akir is the annoying in-law who doesn't think I'm good enough for his sister. He's also a dick in general and has more issues than a Luskan prostitute has venereal diseases. Akir Be'tnen: 'Cadius would like to like him, but between Akir's reaction to Cadius and Aislinn's budding relationship and the fact that Akir's reaction to anything appears to be 'Kill Kill Death Carnage Murder', it's pretty hard, but Cadius is trying, honest! ...Okay, not so honest. Cadius' feeling towards Akir is dislike on a good day. But they're getting better, having come to something of a mutual 'treat her right, I don't stab you' agreement, although this is tenuous at best. Fairly recently, they seem to have come to an accord and set aside their differences, at least looking almost like friends, if friends, y'know, routinely insulted and threatened to kill each other. ''She's a psychopath. Anyone who advocates blowing up a city for no real reason has to be loonier than a chipmunk on a line of mushrooms. '''Shalarnes Marthadal: Cadius is going to come right out and not say it. He doesn't really like Shalarnes. It's not that he dislikes her, he just has this underlying feeling of being patronized whenever he talks to her, probably mostly for her comment of 'Poor dear' to Cadius commenting on being raised in Human society. While she clarified fast, Cadius still has an underlying suspicion that she meant exactly what he thought she did. Recently, his mild dislike has grown, as she's advocated destroying Yulash and killing everyone in it, and then mazing him after he told her to shut up - not that you couldn't have seen that coming, but still, it made him irate. Luys is a douche. A complete and utter bastard. I thought Akir was bad, but Akir has his redeeming qualities, buried so deep you'd be forgiven for assuming he doesn't have any. Luys, on the other hand, has no redeeming qualities, basically being a mix of Akir and Tulith's worst qualities, with no good ones that I can see. Luys Crescentmoon: Ugh. If there is one living person that is from this Plane that Cadius really, truly loathes, it's Luys. He sees him as being a total asshole for no particularly good reason, and he will not shut the fuck up. Ever. They seem to be coming to a head, with a full on fight to the death not looking terribly unlikely. Hell, I don't know anymore. Grigory Zarkaeen: Cadius' opinion of Grigory is complicated. He's heard conflicting stories so much that at this point, he's hesitant to even try forming an opinion about the man. The original Creeper Jones. Tulith Kellin: Oh boy...well, Tulith and Cadius were friends, or at least friendly, for a while. Then all of the sudden that went to merry Hell and Tulith went off the deep end. Tried to kill Cadius, then vanished into the night. He did go back to normal for like, five minutes, then he went crazy again and started stalking Lia and generally being a creeper. Anyway, these days they hate each other, as Tulith has joined the ranks of the Black-Clad Assholes, a group that is unpleasantly NOT very exclusive. Tulith's recent departure from the mortal coil has pleased Cadius to no end, although he is mildly annoyed that he didn't get to kill him himself. How do you think I feel? He turned my sister into an abomination and drove one of my closest friends into madness at the same time. I don't give a damn that he wasn't in control of himself at the time, he should have fought harder. If it were my choice, he'd be a smoking pile of ashes. Unfortunately, it's not. Sol'murss: 'Cadius never had the highest regard for Sol, but discovering his Vampirism and Sol's subsequent brainwashing/betrayal by/to Zhengyi, he can find little but hate for Sol, and it's only because of Lia that Cadius hasn't set out to send him to whatever fate awaits him. NPC Relationships: ''She's about the last person in this world that I want to think about. She's dead, I know she's dead, but I can't tell you the number of times I've thought I've seen her face in a crowd, thought I heard her voice. And that's not even counting the nightmares. '''Sari: Sari is the only one of the Shadow Thieves that Cadius cannot say with conviction that he defeated one way or another, the feeling that she did irreparable damage to his psyche a little difficult to cast aside. The woman features prominently in his nightmares, and despite the fact that Cadius killed her himself - in a rather brutal manner - he fears that she may come back someway, somehow, and finish what she started with him. Cadius had doubts for a time whether killing her wasn't some mistake, but speaking with some of the people who Sari took her cruelties out on has ended those doubts. I'm surprised that coward had the guts to face me with three men at his back. Rethik Dakkorne: 'Dakkorne laid the groundwork for Sari. While the scars Dakkorne left were much less permanent, both physically and psychologically, the damage to his psyche left cracks that Sari was able to manipulate when she got her turn. Cadius' opinion of Dakkorne is that of a pathetic piece of work, a tool for the more competent, a man who's only delight is in the suffering of others. He hates Dakkorne, yes, but he also has strong contempt for the man. ''Sick, sick bastard. 'Nichzan: '''Nichzan is the true monster of the Shadow Thieves, a man who delighted in psychological sadism through his illusions. Cadius knows little about him, and his opinion of him is a deeper level of the same hate he has for any agent of the Shadow Thieves. I wonder if he delivered that message I asked him to give to his comrades. '''Shadeye: '''While Shadeye was something of a rival to Cadius while he was alive, Cadius has little for the man but contempt, a strong fighter who accomplished little in life other than work at the bootheel of smarter men. Cadius has the impression of a sadistic monster within Shadeye, but whether this is an accurate assessment of him is unlikely to ever be determined. Given Shadeye's gleeful torture of Cadius, though, it doesn't seem terribly unlikely. ''One good thing came of that ordeal - I proved it was possible to kill a man by shoving a lockpick up his nose. '''The Master: The Master, Cadius has difficulty forming an opinion on. The only one of the Shadow Thieves that Cadius remembered from his time in the organization, he recalled The Master as being an up and coming within the leadership of the organization in Baldur's Gate, and his apparent exiling East is strange. His feelings for the Master are much less personal than they were for his other enemies, a deep antipathy rather than out and out hatred. Background "Do you know what a thumbscrew is?" "Isn't it when you're with your lady and you take your thumb and..." - Rethik Dakkorne and Cadius Eldanesh Cadius was born to Alara Kovaine on the night of Hammer 16, 1283, in the home of James and Anna Hardbright, newlyweds who were acquainted with Ms. Kovaine. He was born both fat and healthy, and his mother, relieved, fell asleep soon afterwards, holding her child in her arms. The following morning, she gave infant Cadius to Anna, asking her to raise the boy, before departing into the streets of Baldur's Gate, where she disappeared. The reason for this were never discerned by the Hardbrights, nor told to Cadius. The only clue that ever fit was Cadius' father, a man who Alara never spoke of during her last meeting with the Hardbrights despite frequent urging, telling the couple to leave the subject alone. Regardless, the Hardbrights raised Cadius as if he were their own child, soon having a number of children of their own, three daughters and a son, to be precise. Cadius was treated well throughout his youth, as much a part of the family as any of them and fiercely protective of his three sisters and brother. The family was well and happy, with Cadius apprenticed to his father, a carpenter. In the last year of his apprenticeship, however, Cadius' middle sister, Mary, disappeared with no apparent traces. While their father approached the Watch and the Flaming Fist, Cadius began retracing his sister's footsteps. The chase proved to be long, but after a month of poking his nose into dark corners and finding nothing or only sharp blades and sharper teeth, he came across a solid lead, a man by the name of Hasin Madaine, a traveling nobleman with an unpleasant reputation, who had been seen with Mary on a number of occasions. Efforts to locate Hasin through legal channels failed, and every road available seemed to be a dead end, Cadius was approached by an agent of the Shadow Thieves of Amn, who offered a piece of information in exchange for 'Favors.' He didn't question his good fortune, and an hour later, he was back on the trail of Madaine. His pursuit to pin Hasin's location down would continue a single more week, until the Shadow Thief emissary gave him one more tidbit of information, in an apologetic tone - 'The Alley outside the Oaken Staves Tavern.' For what reason, Cadius would never learn, but when he came to the alley, he found his sister, strangled to death, her face twisted and warped in death. In his grief, he took her body back to the family home, Cadius' first return since he departed it four months before. In their grieving, a single thing tumbled out of their pocket, something that in better days, Cadius would have found incredibly suspect. It was a matchbook for the Salty Dog, a pleasant dockside inn. Cadius made his way there, and sure enough, Hasin was there, sleeping in his private room. Cadius made his entry, quickly ending any fight by flinging a dagger into Hasin's stomach. The shocked nobleman, already severely injured, quickly gave in. Cadius then began to brutally beat the nobleman, ignoring his pleading for mercy, until finally the Watch made their appearance, whereupon Cadius pitched the beaten and bloodied nobleman out the window, the man meeting his end on the hard cobblestones below. Cadius was then taken into custody, where he languished for several days. His father was allowed a meeting with him, and they spoke the last things they would ever say to each other. Then he left Cadius, who was facing very long time in a cell at his best...when the Shadow Thieves contacted him for the third time, using their expertise at blackmail and bribery to spring him. After escaping, Cadius questioned his contact. "Why did you spring me?" "Because you did us a favor, and you still owe us some." Cadius could never return to his family, never speak with his kin again, without endangering them as well as himself. The official statement was that Cadius had escaped into the countryside, and that the Flaming Fist were pursuing. In reality, he was still inside Baldur's Gate, being trained as an agent for the local Shadow Thieves. His potential proved to be considerable, and he quickly became one of the best local agents. It would be nearly fifty years before anything cropped up to change that. When it did, it would strike hard. Cadius and his partner, Fearghus, a man of considerable skill and Cadius' closest friend, broke into an extremely wealthy nobleman's estate, planning on stealing an extremely valuable pearl. Fearghus, however, betrayed Cadius and left him to die or be arrested, escaping with the Pearl. Cadius, however, narrowly escaped despite his injury, only to find that his screwup had left valuable clues. His group of Thieves were being broken apart by the Flaming Fist. While their leader, Billy 'Parsnip' Macghraw, knew where the blame lay, he put a task on Cadius. 'Find Fearghus and kill him.' Cadius departed the Gate soon after, and felt a sense of freedom. Fearghus was long gone in a direction that couldn't be tracked. If he did as he was ordered, it would be a search that would take decades. But...to the East lay lands the Shadow Thieves had no touch in. They would never know he ignored them. He was free, free to leave behind his memories and find a new life somewhere away from their influence. It's been ten years of long wandering since then. Upon his arrival in the Moonsea region, he was originally planning on moving on pretty quickly. Then he ran into Lia and struck up a friendship, then a relationship with her. At that point, he decided that he'd stay here for a while, at least until he resolved certain issues. Moonsea's been very odd to Cadius, what with all the weird stuff going on. A common comment from him is 'Why doesn't anything around here ever seem to make sense?' Which is usually followed by a rant about flying doom fortresses, pantherghasts, and 'Two Opposites in One's Breath, or whatever the hell they keep nattering about.' Recent events have Cadius, if not in the forefront, then at least sticking his nose in from the side. He was present at the beginning of Zhengyi's invasion of the Moonsea, and the struggles at Elventree, Glarin's March, and elsewhere has put a considerable strain on his psyche. On more personal notes, agents of the Shadow Thieves of Amn recently arrived in the Moonsea and for a period, made Cadius' life a living hell, torturing him twice and attempting to brainwash him into an assassin. With the assistance of his friends Noc and Isiolia, however, he overcame their control and with their aid, destroyed the Shadow Thief leadership and broke the back of the organization within the Moonsea, with the survivors being snapped up by the various other criminal groups. Achievements: "They call me Werebane." - Cadius *Snort* - Isiolia Nightstar Slew a Werewolf serial killer who had been murdering and devouring the beggars of Yulash, and later with the assistance of Aislinn Cystineren and Akir Be'tnen, wiped out a pack to the west of Yulash, personally slaying their Alpha through judicious use of explosives. The event is not exactly common knowledge, but anyone looking up Cadius' name in Yulash's records would probably find it with little trouble. Uncovered a traitor within the ranks of the Sunite Temple. However, the spy, a human by the name of Jack Silverlance, escaped capture. Currently waging a war against the Shadow Thieves along with Noc Wylan Amilcnam, his de facto brother in law. After Cadius' second capture, torture, and brainwashing at the Shadow Thief lieutenants Shadeye and Sari, he managed to escape by killing Sari, then returned to their headquarters with Noc Wylan Amilcnam and Isiolia Nightstar and assisted in the killing of Shadeye, as well as personally killing the illusionist Nichzan before ending the war entirely in a climactic swordfight with the leader of the Shadow Thieves, an enigmatic figure known only as The Master, by inserting his lockpick into the man's brain, causing a cerebral hemorrhage. Only a few know of his involvement. Significant Possessions: Riding through the desert on a horse with no name... Cadius no longer has any real possessions to his name. Birthday Born 16 Hammer, 1283 DR. Year of the Crawling Clouds Born under the Sign of the Raven and with New Selûne under the sign of the Raven Those born under the sign of the Raven are self sufficient, lively, impetuous and outspoken. They dislike routine and refuse to be pressured by others. Restless and highly energetic, they thrive on change and need constant mental and physical challenge. Those born with Selûne under the sign of the Raven are self sufficient, lively, impetuous and outspoken. They dislike routine and refuse to be pressured by others. Restless and highly energetic, they thrive on change and need constant mental and physical challenge. Timeline: ''Well, sure, when you put it like that, there's not much there. '' Hammer 16, 1283 - Cadius Eldanesh is born in the home of James and Anna Hardbright, the son of Alara Eldanesh and an unknown Elven man. Ches 7, 1308 - Mary Hardbright disappears. Ches 9, 1308 - Cadius begins his search for Mary. Eleint 15, 1308 - Cadius is contacted by an agent of the Shadow Thieves, who gives him much-needed information. Eleint 22, 1308 - Cadius is lead by the Shadow Thieves to the body of his sister. She is returned to the family home, where a final clue is found, a matchbook leading to the inn where her presumed killer, Hasin Madaine, is residing. Eleint 23, 1308 - In the small hours, Cadius enters the Salty Dog Inn and brutally murders Hasin Madaine. He is then arrested by Flaming Fist guardsmen. Eleint 24, 1308 - Cadius has his last conversation with his foster father. Several hours later, the Shadow Thieves arrange for his release. He is quickly brought into their organization, with the potential for the Flaming Fist to arrest him and his whole family hung over his head. He eventually comes to accept and even enjoy his place in the organization, becoming one of their best thieves. Marpenoth 1, 1366 - Cadius' partner, a fellow thief by the name of Fearghus, betrays Cadius while on the job, cracking his skull before fleeing the area. Marpenoth 2, 1366 - The local group of Shadow Thieves under the control of Billy 'Parsnip' are quickly broken apart. Cadius is sent to regain his respect by killing Fearghus. After departing, however, he quickly abandons his task, relieved to be out from under their thumb, and begins to wander, north and east. Kythorn 23, 1376 - Cadius arrives in the Moonsea, and quickly decides to stay for a time. Marpenoth 23, 1376 - Cadius is captured by agents of the Shadow Thieves and is brutally tortured. Nightal 24, 1376 - Cadius is captured by agents of the Shadow Thieves and is brutally tortured before being brainwashed by Sari. Nightal 29, 1376 - Cadius, with the assistance of Noc Wylan Amilcnam and Isiolia Nightstar, breaks his conditioning and escapes Shadow Thief control, killing their number two officer, Sari, in the process. Nightal 30, 1376 - Cadius, along with Noc Wylan Amilcnam and Isiolia Nightstar, storm the Shadow Thief headquarters and kill Shadeye, Nichzan, and the enigmatic Shadow Thief Master. Name: ''Y'er honna, I am heeyre representin' the most noble and ancient house a the Eldanesheses. ''- Cadius Eldanesh, court minutes, drunk and disorderly charge, Ches 12, 1302 D.R. House Eldanesh is a mystery. While his mother, Alara, bore the name, it's uncertain as to what it's origins are. Cadius has never come across any mention of any family known as Eldanesh, although he doesn't look very hard. It's not an especially great concern for him. Those learned in the Houses or people of the Elves (DC 20 Lore) might come to the realization that there is no noble Elven house by the name of Eldanesh, and those particularly so (DC 35 Lore) to realize that if a Common Family known as Eldanesh exists, it is so obscure that it must be hiding somewhere in the Underdark to be this unmentionable. Anyone with knowledge of Elven should realize that the name is completely meaningless after even cursory examination. In truth, House Eldanesh does not exist, and whatever his mother's surname really was, Eldanesh was not it.Cadius invented the name Eldanesh to use as a surname following his joining of the Shadow Thieves, feeling he no longer deserved to carry the Hardbright name. As for the name Cadius, analysis shows that it is most likely derived from an old Common dialect word that remained in the Baldurian consciousness - Cade, which originally meant 'Of Obscure Origin' but came to refer to creatures that were abandoned by their mother and raised by humans. Source documents Category:PC